This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On November 8, 2019, a Malaysian court handed down jail sentences to five men accused of attempting to engage in gay sex.
The men were arrested in November 2018 during a raid on a two-storey apartment in the Malaysian capital, where they were detained along with seven other men.
According to the Malay-language daily Harian Metro, the Selangor Shariah High Court sentenced four of the men to six months' jail, six strokes of the cane, and a 4,800 ringgit ($1,163) fine for 'attempting intercourse against the order of nature.'
The fifth man received a seven-month jail sentence, six strokes of the cane, and a 4,900 ringgit fine for the same offense.
Islamic enforcement officers had detained the men during the raid, which was part of Malaysia's renewed crackdown on unnatural relations, including gay relationships and bestiality.
As reported by Harian Metro, Judge Mohamad Asri Mohamad Tahir stated, 'The facts show that there was an attempt to carry out intercourse outside of the order of nature and that it was not in the early stages of preparation.'
